The word “Batac” in a local dialect translates as “pull”. More loosely, it refers to “the people’s pulling their efforts together.”

Batac is known as the “Home of Great Leaders”, as it is the hometown of many significant figures in the history of the Philippines. Among them is the former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos. It is also the birthplace of Gregorio Aglipay, the founder of the Philippine

Independent Church, better known as the Aglipayan Church, and Gen. Artemio Ricarte, the “Father of the Philippine Army”.

Batac is well-known for being the home of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), a high-degree granting university that has several branches throughout the province.